View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When Mr. Salgado takes a weekend trip to his cousin's tea estate, who is left in charge of the household?
(a) A neighbor.
(b) Lucy-amma.
(c) Joseph.
(d) Triton.

2. What does Triton say when Mr. Salgado asks him if he has any schooling?
(a) He's been to school at the temple and is familiar with religious teachings.
(b) He's been to school, knows how to read and write, and speaks some English.
(c) He has no time for school because he's had to help raise his siblings.
(d) He has some schooling but he does not like the teachers.

3. How far away is Sri Lanka from England?
(a) Six thousand miles.
(b) Two thousand eight hundred miles.
(c) Four hundred miles.
(d) A thousand miles.

4. Once inside the office, what does the narrator ask the cashier?
(a) Where he lives.
(b) Why he leaves his wife behind.
(c) Who helps him escape from Sri Lanka.
(d) How long he's been in England.

5. How long has the narrator been out of Sri Lanka?
(a) Three years.
(b) Less than a month.
(c) More than twenty years.
(d) Twelve years.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who used to own the car that belongs to the narrator at the start of the story?

2. The cashier experiences technical difficulties with what?

3. What does Mr. Salgado's house represent to Triton when he is a boy?

4. At the start of the story, what does the narrator notice about the cashier?

5. As Triton waits to meet Mr. Salgado, he:

Short Essay Questions

1. At the end of the first section, what does the narrator begin to talk about with the gas station cashier?

2. During their first meeting, how does Triton reply when Mr. Salgado asks if he's been to school?

3. When Mr. Salgado leaves for a weekend trip to his cousin's tea estate, what additional responsibilities does he give Triton?

4. Through which character does the author choose to reveal the changing sociopolitical landscape of Sri Lanka across many decades?

5. In "Part 1, Kolla", why is Triton left alone in Mr. Salgado's house?

6. The narrator speaks with a gas station cashier. How experienced is the cashier with his job?

7. When he is a boy, why does Triton regard Mr. Salgado's house as the "center of the universe"?

8. In the opening scene, what kind of trouble does the cashier experience?

9. Describe the relationship between Triton and Joseph.

10. Describe the Volkswagen introduced in the first part of the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 881 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample